Here is The Place Where I Love You
by Beaker77
Summary: What if Katniss' father never died? How would that have changed things? Would Prim and Peeta still have been reaped? Would Katniss ever think of Peeta as the boy with the bread? Would she become friends with Gale? We shall see.
1. Chapter 1

**What if Katniss' father never died? How would that have changed things? Would Prim and Peeta still have been reaped? Would Katniss ever think of Peeta as the boy with the bread? Would she become friends with Gale? We shall see.**

Chapter One

"Katniss, wake up dear." My father's voice cut through my dreams. I rolled over on my stomach. "I don't wanna go to school." I grumbled. "It's Saturday, I'm taking you hunting." Dad rubbed my back, still trying to wake me. "Daddy it's too early." Prim had woken up now. I sat up as she started whining.

"Go back to sleep Primrose, Katniss is the only one who needs to get up." He tugged me out of bed now that I had sat up. I scowled at my father and Prim, who was giggling. "Get dressed." He pointed at the dresser before leaning down and kissing Prim. He pulled the blanket up over her and began to sing her back to sleep.

I stomped my way over to the dresser and pulled on my clothes in a huff. By the time Dad has finished his lullaby I was ready to go. We waited until we were out of the room before speaking, not wanting Prim to wake again. "You'll need to do something about that hair." Dad chuckled as we walked into the kitchen. It was empty, Mom hadn't risen yet either. I said nothing and grabbed our family's only comb. Dad chuckled again, finding my bad mood amusing.

He put on his boots and gathered his things while I got my hair in order, braiding it like normal. "Are you ready?" Dad asked as I tied a scrap of fabric around the end of my braid. "Yes." I crossed my arms and followed him out the door. It was still dark outside. I grabbed my dad's hand. I wasn't the bravest 11 year old.

We arrived at the fence slipped through without any issue. After we'd walked a ways Dad relaxed. "Alright, you know the drill Katniss." He pointed over to a thicket not far away. "Pick berries for breakfast while you get the bows." I took the small bucket he had been carrying and trudged over and began my task. Soon enough we were munching on berries while Dad was repairing one of the bows.

"Dad, why do we have to live like this?" I popped a berry into my mouth. "Because that's the way things are. District 12 got the short end of the stick. Along with the other poor districts." Dad sighed as he adjusted the string of the bow. "But the Captial has more than enough food to share, why woul-" Dad clapped his hand over my mouth. I surpressed my shout of surprise.

"Run and find a tree to climb. Make sure you are hidden. Don't come down until I come and get you." My father hissed into my ears and then propelled me forward. I took off running. I heard my dad moving quickly the other direction. I saw tree I knew I could climb and scampered up it.

I climbed higher than I ever had before. I hoped and prayed the peacekeepers wouldn't find me or my father. We'd be killed. I heard a deep throaty laugh to my right and I froze. Whoever it was, was passing under the tree I was in. I held my breath. "Tell me another joke son." The deep voice was farther away this time. "You are gonna love this one Pop, here goes: Why did the miner take a balloon ride in a thunderstorm?" 13 year old Gale Hawthorne's voice rang out clear and loud through the forest. My mouth dropped open. What were the Hawthornes doing out here?

"Why son?" Mr. Hawthorne responded to his eager son. "Because he heard that every cloud has a silver lining!" Gale and Mr. Hawthorne both started laughing. I rolled my eyes. The joke wasn't even that funny. I guess boys laughed at everything. The Hawthorne's voices were getting out of range now. I pulled some berries out of my pocket and began munching on them. I wondered how long it would be until my father came and got me. I leaned back and closed my eyes.

"KATNISS!" I jolted awake. I looked around blurry eyed. The sun was blazing bright now. "KATNISS EVERDEEN!" I heard my father shout again. "COMING DAD! I'M UP HERE!" I started climbing down as quickly as it was safe. "Good grief child, you had us worried." My father's voice had lost it's frantic note and was now tinged with relief. "Us?" I looked down and saw the Hawthornes standing with my father.

Gale smirked up at me. I scowled and kept climbing. "I was calling for you for an hour, why didn't you respond?" My father glared down at me. "I...I fell asleep." I replied. Gale snickered. My father sighed. "We'll talk about this later." Dad rubbed his forehead with his hands.

"Sure is taking you a long time to get down, not scared of height are you?" Gale called up to me. His father jostled him roughly, but that didn't disminish the boy's smug grin. Oh so going slowly and being careful was a bad thing now. I hated boys sometimes. "How far up were you Katniss?" My father helped me down from the last branch. "I could see over most of the other trees." I replied quietly. Mr. Hawthorne whistled. "Just like bird. She reminds me of you when you were young Roan." Mr. Hawthorne clapped my father on the shoulder before offering his hand to me.

"I'm Salem Hawthorne." He shook my hand heartily. "I'm sure you know my boy Gale with all the trouble he makes." He shoved his son towards me. "Catnip, always a pleasure." He grinned widely at me. "Oh so this is the boy you were talking about." My father smiled and that was when I knew that this was going to be my punishment for falling asleep in the tree.

"I can assure you son that you've made quite the impression on my daughter with that little nickname of yours." I sighed and bent down to retie my shoes. "Oh I have?" Gale's smug voice made my clench my teeth. Mr. Hawthorne guffawed. "She won't stop talking about the 'pretty but mean boy' from her school who calls her Catnip." I shot up straight and hit my dad on the arm. "DAD THAT'S NOT WHAT I SAID!" I hollered, even though that was exactly what I said. The three only laughed harder at my protests.

 **A/N: Hi guys! I hope you like this story! Pairings aren't decided yet so let me know your opinions and I'll take them into consideration. Romance isn't going to show up in this story for awhile though, so no rush on anything. I apologize for any grammar or spelling mistakes. I am editing this myself and no matter how many times I go over my stories, I always miss something.**

 **i cri evry tiem.**

 **-Beaky**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Katniss!" My seven year old sister Prim wrapped her arms around my waist. "Let's play!" She smiled up at me. I continued walking to the kitchen table dragging her along me. I set the pail of berries on the table along with my jacket. "Go on dear. It'll be a good while until supper." My mother began sorting the berries. I let Prim pull me outside. Normally I would be happy to play with her, but I was still mad from the ordeal with the Hawthornes earlier in the day. "Daddy, come play too!" Prim ran up to our father and jumped into his arms. He had returned from selling part of our catch at the Hob.

"I'll play later Primrose. Besides, the Hawthornes are coming to visit in a few minutes. You'll be able to play with their children." Dad swung her around before setting her down. "Rory is coming?" Prim squealed happily. She was in the same class as the middle Hawthorne boy, and the two were thick as thieves. Dad ruffled her hair before going inside. Prim skipped back to me and danced around in a circle. It only took a few moments before I began to smile. It was hard not to be happy around Primrose.

"Katniss let's play healer." Prim's blue eyes shined up at me. She knew I hated playing healer, but also knew she had me wrapped around her little finger. I catered to Prim's every whim to the best of my ability. "What do I have Prim?" I sat down in the grass. "A fever!" Prim skipped off to find her cure. "You're gonna be all better Katniss!" Prim laid some oak leaves over my forehead. "Uh oh, now you're going sick crazy!" Prim gasped. This was my cue to begin acting silly.

"Oh look at all the pretty purple floaty things." I sat up and started waving my arms and swinging my head around. Prim tried to push me so I was lying down again. When that didn't work she decided tackling me was her best option. "Oof, Prim that really wasn't neccessary." I choked out. She had knocked the wind out of me. "RORY!" Prim shot up and off of me and ran towards her friend. I sighed. It was going to be a long afternoon. "Hiya Catnip, what're you lying on the ground for?" Gale smirked down at me. "I was playing healer with Prim." I replied in a monotone.

"I really liked that funny dance you were doing." He snickered as he mimicked my movements. I started to sit up but Prim soon thwarted my plans. "NO YOU ARE STILL SICK KATNISS!" She and Rory ran full force at me. "Okay, alright." I laid down quickly. I really didn't want the two of them to tackle me this time. 5 year old Vick followed after them at a slower pace. Once Prim saw that I had obeyed her command she stopped running and pulled Rory and Vick over to a mud puddle. Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorne smiled and waved at us before going on into the house. Gale sat down next me. We watched as the three young ones made a mixture of mud and leaves. "Prim, what does Katniss have?" Gale called over to the little blonde trouble maker. "She has a fever and she's sick crazy!" Prim called back.

"You know Prim, the best way to get a fever down is to pour water over someone." Gale grinned down at me. "Prim, didn't you notice that Gale's sick too?" My last resort was to my Gale suffer with me. "Oh no, I didn't even notice. Gale you need to lay down too!" Prim put her hands on her hips and glared at Gale. Gale sighed and laid down next to me. "Well played." He laid his head on his arms. The kids seemed to be deep in discussion on what to use to cure us so I figured it'd be awhile until they agreed to something.

I was gonna try to start up a conversation with Gale, but of course he had to ruin that plan. "So, you think I'm pretty huh?" I could hear the smile in his voice. "Be careful, all that hot air in your head could ruin your looks." I crossed my arms. "So you do think I'm pretty." Gale laughed. "You are the worst boy in the his-" I sat up and started to insult him, but sadly that was cut short. I squealed as the cold water started gushing over me. Gale shouted and jumped up, shaking water everywhere. We had been so caught up in talking that we hadn't noticed the kids. "What's going on out here?" Our parents rushed out of the house. "We had to cure Katniss and Gale of their fevers!" Rory called out.

He, Prim, and Vick rushed over to the adults. I was still sitting on the ground in shock. Gale had peeled off his shirt and was wringing it out. "No more playing healer for today kids, you two get inside and dry off before you catch your death of cold." My mother waved us to come inside. Mr. Hawthorne and Dad were trying to hide their amusment at us and scold the young ones. Gale came up behind me and hoisted me up out of the mud and set me on my feet. "I didn't need help." I growled at him and followed him towards the house. "The proper response would've been: Thanks for helping me up Gale! You're pretty and helpful to boot!" He laughed and entered the house. I stomped in after him.

Mrs. Hawthorne was sitting at the kitchen table. She hadn't come outside and now I saw why. She was heavily pregnant. "Hello Mrs. Hawthorne." I nodded politely at her. She smiled and offered her hand to me. "Very nice to meet you Katniss Everdeen." She shook my hand lightly. I smiled back at her. She seemed like a nice woman. "Gale, I'll get something for you to wear." My mother joined us inside. The fathers were outside looking after the children now that us older kids weren't out there. "Thank you Mrs. Everdeen." Gale replied. I walked into my room and shut the door. I rifled through my drawers until I found a pair of pants and shirt that wasn't too tattered. Not that I was trying to impress anyone.

I left my room and sat down at the table with my mother and Mrs. Hawthorne. My mother smiled and caressed my cheek for a moment before continuing her conversation with Mrs. Hawthorne. "What are you hoping for Hazelle?" My mother and Mrs. Hawthorne were sorting through fabric scraps. Probably planning to trade with each other. "I'd say a girl, but I don't know how a girl would hold up with all these boys." Mrs. Hawthorne chuckled. "Maybe a girl would mellow them out Mrs. Hawthorne." I chimed in. "Maybe so dear. And please, call me Hazelle." She patted my hand.

"What are you lovely ladies up to?" Gale had changed into some of my father's old clothing and swaggered into the kitchen. I rolled my eyes. "Nothing you'd be interested in." I stuck my tongue out at Gale. He made a face back. "Katniss!" My mother's voice was sharper than normal. "Manners! And go stir the stew." She narrowed her eyes at me. I sighed and did as I was told. "This looks good Mom." I said cheerfully. My attempt at getting back into her good graces was not successful.

"Why don't the two of you play a card game?" Hazelle poked around in her bag and pulled out a dilapidated deck of cards. "Thank you Mrs-Hazelle." I smiled at her. "The two of you go play in your room Katniss." My mother shooed us off. Normally she didn't mind if the kids played in the kitchen or living room. She must have grown up things to talk about with Hazelle.

"So Catnip, you know how to play War?" Gale began shuffling the cards. "Yup." I replied quietly. I brought my knees up to my chin and wrapped my arms around them. "Considering that our siblings are such good friends, you think we'd be as well." Gale started doling out the cards. "And you know, our fathers know each other pretty well too." Gale glanced at me curiously. "Maybe it's because you tug on my braid in the lunchroom and call me Catnip at recess while I'm trying to jump rope." I said as Gale and I began the game. "Are you really that sensitive?" Gale frowned. "No, not until you made me skin my knee when I was almost at 100 hops!" I growled. "Yeah, I did feel bad about that afterward. I brought you a piece of chewing gum to make up for it, if you remember." He grinned as he won the round. "Of course I remember dummy, that was only two weeks ago!" I rolled my eyes at him. "I heard catnip causes memory loss." He wiggled his eyebrows at me. "What's your excuse for your stupidity?" I dodged the half a deck of cards thrown at me and started laughing.

 **A/N:** **This time period of them becoming friends is set about a month or so after the explosion would've taken place. I know it was longer than that before they became friends in the book, but everything's different since the fathers are alive. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Also:** **I apologize for any grammar or spelling mistakes. I am editing this myself and no matter how many times I go over my stories, I always miss something.**

 **-Beaky**

 **P.S. Any tips on how to make the format better would be greatly appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Supper is ready." My father knocked on the door to my bedroom. Gale and I began gathering up the cards. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving." He said as we stood up. "I think everyone is." I replied. We walked into the kitcken and living room. The kids were sitting on the floor patiently waiting for their meals. Gale joined them. I went to help my mother. The Hawthornes had contributed greatly to the meal, having brought potatos, turnips, and onions. Mother has gone all out and added carrots and beans as well, along with the squirrel meat. I can see why she did, we rarely have people over to visit. Besides, it had been a long time since we had a hearty meal. We lived on bread, cheese, and berries most of the time.

I set five bowls of stew on a tray and carried it over to were the kids were sitting. "Looks great!" Gale grabbed two bowls and set them in front of Rory and Vick. "Yummy!" Prim clapped her hands and grabbed her bowl. "Careful little duck, you'll spill." I said as I reached for my bowl. "This is so good, thanks for making this Mrs. Everdeen." Gale called out to my mother. "You're welcome dear." She replied. "Do you like it Vick?" I looked at the little boy who was eating very slowly. Most people in Twelve gobbled down their food like they would never eat again. A fear that could very well come true here.

"Don't mind him, he likes to savor his food." Gale chuckled and ruffled his brother's hair. Vick smiled at me and nodded. "I like this stew a lot Katniss!" Rory was halfway done with his bowl, Prim not far behind. "Me too! I love potatos!" Prim giggled happily.

Soon enough everyone was finished. The Hawthornes were getting ready to leave. They needed to be home before dark. "My boy will be back here tomorrow to return your clothes Roan." Mr. Hawthorne shook my dad's hand. "Take care Salem." My father clapped him on the shoulder. "Bye Rory! Bye Vick!" Prim hugged the boys good bye. "Bye bye Gale!" She ran to get a hug from him as well. He laughed and picked her up. "Bye Primrose." He hugged her tightly. Prim could melt even the stupidest of boys heart.

He set her down and turned to me. "Don't you want a hug Katniss?" He smirked. "No!" I crossed my arms and looked away. Gale came up arms held out anyway. "Don't be rude Katniss." My mother frowned at me. I sighed deeply and turned to hug him. The second Gale put his arms around me, I knew I made a mistake. He began tickling me relentlessly. "YOU JERK!" I shoved him away. He stumbled back laughing. "Gale, what are we going to do with you?" His mother shook her head smiling. Gale dodged the half hearted chuff from his father. Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorne began herding the children out the door. "Bye all!" The Hawthornes trouped out the door.

"Wasn't that nice?" My mother began cleaning up the kitchen. "It most certainly was." My father stoked the fire. I gathered all the bowls from the floor back onto the tray."It was nice except for Gale." I grumbled as I set the dishes into the sink. My mother and father shared a look. "Can they come eat supper here everyday?" Prim asked as she began to sweep. "No Primrose, they cannot." My mother began washing the dishes. "Why not?" Prim huffed. "Because then it wouldn't be special." My father motioned for Prim so come sit on his lap. "Oh! Okay!" She scurried over to him. "Will you tell us a story Daddy?" Primrose asked. "I think I can manage one." He smiled. "Katniss come on, Daddy is telling a story!" Prim waved me over frantically. I glanced at mom. "I'll finish up dear." She smiled. I hurried over to my father and Prim. I rested my back against his legs. Life in District Twelve wasn't much, but was ours, and we lived it the best could.

"Hi Gale." I opened the door to find the tall boy smirking. "Hi Catnip." He thumped my nose. I sighed and stood aside. "C'mon in if you are." I closed the door behind him. "Here are your father's clothes." He held them out to me. "Just set them on the kitchen table." I sat down at the table and resumed sewing. "Whatcha' making?" Gale pulled out a chair next to me. "The door is that way." I replied.

"I've never heard of an articule of clothing called 'the door is that way'. What body part does that cover?" He smirked and leaned back in his chair. "Your brain. You don't have one though so this is unneccessary for you." I stuck my tongue out at him. "Hmmm, looks more like a skirt to me." His smug face annoyed me to no end. "Leave you jerk." My face was getting warm from him staring at me. "So soon? I thought you'd want me to stay, since I'm pretty and all." Gale snicked as he got up from the chair. "Where is everyone by the way?" He looked down at me, expecting me to get up as well.

"Primrose and my mother are out collecting herbs. I think my dad is at the Hob." I set down the skirt and followed him to the door. "Now get out." I swung open the door. "You should sit with me tomorrow at lunch Catnip." Gale said as he walked out the door and down the steps. "Like I'd wanna do that!" I crossed my arms. "C'mon, I'll introduce you to my friends Thom and Bristol." He jumped off the last step. "I don't want Madge to be lonely." I replied. "Bring her too." He started walking away. "Bye Gale." I called out. "Bye." He waved without turning around.

"Hey Madge," I came up next to her in the hallway, "Do you mind if we sit with Gale and his friends at lunch?" Madge raised her eyebrows at me. "Gale who pulls on your braid and calls you Catnip?" Madge looked at me like I was going crazy. "You know Prim is friends with his little brother. I thought I ought to be friends with him." I could tell she didn't believe me. "Do you like him Katniss?" Madge's suspicious tone made me uncomfortable. "Of course not! If you really must know my family has become a lot better friends with his family and now I'm stuck with the boy." I sighed. Madge rolled her eyes. "Would that have been so hard to say the first time?" We walked into the lunch room. "Yes, it's embarrassing."

I grabbed a tray and walked into the lunch line. The meal they were required to provide us wasn't much. Usually cooked vegtables and eggs or soup with bread. But for a lot of kids from the Seam it was the only meal they got in a day. "I hope the eggs are still runny." Madge got in line behind me. "I hope they aren't rotten this time." I mumbled quietly so the two cooks wouldn't hear me. "Katniss, Gale is waving at you." She poked me in the back. I turned and saw him making a scene, his two friends laughing and waving as well. "Stupid boy." I waved back quickly and then turned away. "Oh Katniss." Madge giggled softly. Madge and I received our plates of food and made our way over to the smirking teenagers. "It's not too late to turn back." I whispered to Madge. "We'd just look silly then." She walked with her head held high. Madge was fearless. Sadly no one ever noticed since she was so quiet. "Hello." She set her tray on the table and sat down. "I'm Madge Undersee." She stuck out her hand. "We know who you are." The girl out of two boys regarded Madge coolly.

"Hey Madge. This is Thom, and that friendly lady right there is Bristol. I'm Gale, as you well know." Gale winked at Madge. I rolled my eyes at his theatics and sat down at the table next to Madge. "And this here is Catn-" I tossed my fork at Gale to shut him up. He dodged it and it clattered to the floor. "Katniss Everdeen." I didn't offer my hand to the two since they refused to shake Madge's hand. A lot of Seam people held contempt for people from town. Madge being the Mayor's daughter made it even worse for her. "So Katniss, why do you think Gale wants to be friends with a little kid like you?" Bristol obviously wasn't happy that we were here. She was probably mad she wasn't the only girl at the table anymore.

"Shut up Bristol." Gale glared at her. "I just think it's silly that you feel like you have to look after her just because your dad said so." Bristol smirked at me. "I think it's silly how ugly you are on the inside. It's starting to leak out through your mouth, hurry and shut it before you get ugly outside too." Madge began peeling her egg nonchantly, as if she had just said the weather was nice. Bristol gasped loudly and stared speechless at Madge Thom started laughing heartily. "You're okay Undersee." He grinned at Madge. "Remind me not to make you mad." Gale chuckled. Bristol let out a string of words my parents told me I was never allowed to say and stormed off. The rest of lunch went off without a hitch. Unlike Bristol, Thom was very nice. He liked to joke around a lot so I could see why he and Gale were friends.

Madge and I walked up to the big tire swing at recess. It was empty for a change. We hurried up to it. We hadn't been able to get on the big tire swing before. Only the little one on the other side of the school yard. "You get on first. I'll run and and jump on to get it swinging." I directed her to the left side of the tire. It was big enough to fit four or five kids so it was too heavy to push. Well, at least for me and Madge. One of the older kids could probably push it. "Don't hurt yourself." Madge got on the side of tire and held onto one of the three ropes keeping it tied to the tree. "Alright, one, two, three!" I ran full force and threw myself onto the swing.

Madge screamed in surprise as it swung high over the ground. I wrapped my arms and legs around the tire and held on for dear life, laughing loudly. "Whoa! Can I get on too when it stops?" Delly Cartwright called out as she walked closer. "DELLY GET BACK!" Madge yelled as the tire swung her way. Peeta Mellark grabbed her and pulled her back in time. I dragged my foot on the ground to make the swing stop faster. Once it had I jumped off. "Delly that was so stupid! You could've got hurt!" I scowled as I walked up to her. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was so close!" Delly's eyes filled up with tears. "Don't cry." I took her hand and pulled her over to the swing.

"Peeta are you getting on?" I turned and glanced over at the silent boy. He looked surprised I was talking to him. He probably wasn't used to talking to girls other than Delly. His other friends were boys. "Sure." He perked up and came over. "Do you want me to push you three?" He asked as he helped Delly climb on the tire. "It's too heavy." Madge replied. "I'm strong." Peeta replied. "But then you don't get to ride." I raised an eyebrow to him. "I don't really mind." He shrugged. "Can you run and jump like Katniss? You're bigger so you'd probably make it even higher!" Delly asked. "I can try." He backed up a few feet. I quickly got on the tire "Get on my side so I can grab you if you fall. I can hold on with my legs since I'm not wearing a dress like them." I called over to Peeta.

He nodded and then started running. He landed on the tire with a grunt. Delly was right, he did make the tire go higher. A lot higher. Delly screamed loudly. Madge stayed quiet since she knew what to expect this time. "This is great!" Peeta laughed loudly next to me. Once the swing stopped moving we only had a few more minutes left of recess so we got off and let some other kids who had lined up to get on. As we were walking away Madge leaned over and whispered in my ear. "We made a lot of friends today." I nodded in agreement. "And an enemy." I replied, thinking about Bristol. "Every good story has to have a villian." The corners of Madge's mouth turned up. "If that's the case, then you're my hero Madge."

 **A/N:** **I've decided that I want some of the minor characters to play a bigger part in this story, since it's focused on the day to day life in District Twelve. Hope that's okay for you all!**

 **Also:** **I apologize for any grammar or spelling mistakes. I am editing this myself and no matter how many times I go over my stories, I always miss something.**

 **-Beaky**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Hi Katniss! Hi Madge!" Delly Cartwright set her tray down on the table. "Hello." Madge replied quietly. "Hey." I shared a glance with Madge. We had been sitting with Gale and Thom for the last few days. I wondered how they would react to Delly. We'd find out soon enough. They were in the lunch line. "Wouldn't it be fun to play house at recess? Peeta and I can be the brother and sister!" Delly smiled brightly at us. "Wouldn't it be better for him to play the father?" Madge raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, well...I guess so. But we look alike so we should be the brother and sister!" Delly obviously wasn't going to be swayed in the manner. "So who would we be?" Madge tore her bread in half and handed me a piece. I narrowed my eyes at her but accepted the bread anyway. "You can be the mother Madge, and Katniss could be the baby since she's so small!" Delly was so excited she was swaying back and forth.

"What's this about Katniss being a baby?" Gale sat down at the table. "You know, that makes a lot of sense." Thom smirked at me as he sat down as well. I stuck my tongue out at him. "I was just saying that Katniss should be the baby since she's so small!" Delly grinned at Gale. "Who are you?" Thom have Delly a not so subtle look of mistrust. He was still wary of town kids. Madge was the exception. "Delly Cartwright! It's a pleasure to meet you!" She stuck her hand out across the table. Thom just stared at her hand for a few moments before Gale elbowed him. "Nice...To meet you. I'm Thom." He finally took her hand.

"Gale Hawthorne." Gale offered his hand to her. "Wonderful to meet you!" What was good about Delly was that she was kind to everyone. Seam or otherwise. A lot of town kids turned their nose up at us from the Seam. "So you all must be playing house if Katniss is going to the be the baby." Gale slurped up some of his soup as he said this. Madge wrinkled her nose at his bad manners. "That's right! Do you want to play! We need a father!" Delly replied.

Thom let out a guffaw at her question. "Sure. And I bet Thom would be happy to be that family dog." Thom looked at Gale in horror. "You can't be-" Gale silenced Thom with a look. Delly clapped cheerfully, missing the tension between the two. It would be nice to be as innocent as Delly. Even at the age of 11 I had to be more grown up in the Seam. I figured Madge was so grown up because her father was the mayor and she had to make sure not to do anything that would tarnish his name. I did not envy her in that case.

"I'll get Peeta and then we can go out to recess together!" Delly dashed off giggling happily. "Doesn't she realize we just sat down to eat?" Thom grumbled and began downing his soup quickly. I hurried to finish and began sopping up the last of my soup with my bread. "She one of your friends Katniss?" Gale asked me between bites of food. "Yes." I hesitated slightly before answering. Was Delly my friend? I didn't know. I wouldn't mind if she was. "We just started playing with her at recess." Madge stood up from the table.

"I'll take your tray for you Katniss." She grabbed my tray without waiting for my response and started to walk away from the table. "Look at that, the Mayor's daughter lifting a finger for once in her life." Bristol sneered as block Madge's way. She slapped the trays out of her hand before slinking away. "I can't believe Bristol's turned into such a-" Thom held his tongue once he saw that Delly was coming within earshot. "What happened?" She bent down to help me and Madge pick up the trays and the dishes. "I dropped them. I'm clumbsy." Madge said quietly. "It's okay Madge, so am I!" Delly smiled. Trust Madge to not even awknowledge Bristol. She tried to never let things that bothered her have her attention.

We quickly had everything picked up. "Where's Peeta?" I looked around for the blonde boy. "Oh he's already outside." Delly jumped around excitedly. Gale and Thom chuckled and went to go get rid of their trays. Soon enough we were of the building. "Where'd Peeta run off to?" Delly looked around in confusion. "He said he'd be waiting under the tree by the door." Delly put her hands on her hips. "Maybe he went to the bathroom Delly." I said. "Oh well I guess we can just start playing without him!" Delly grabbed Thom by the arm. "We need to find a leash for you! We could use a jumprope!" She skipped off.

"Gale I swear I will make you pay for this." Thom glared as the smirking boy. "At least you aren't the baby." I crossed my arms and sighed. "Coochie coochie coo! Pretty baby boo! " Gale snickered and waggled a finger at me. I blew at raspberry at him. "You're only making yourself look worse Katniss." Madge sat down primly on a stump under the tree. Thom settled himself at her feet. "I guess if I'm the dog..." He sighed deeply. Madge patted his head and we all laughed.

Gale and sat at the base of the tree. "It sure is taking Delly a long time." I glanced at Gale. "Maybe she's having trouble getting the jump rope from the other girls." Gale shrugged. "No, she'd just let them have it and figure something else at. Delly isn't selfish." I threw the stick I had been fiddling with at Thom. "Grrr." He bared his teeth at me. "Peeta isn't back either. It doesn't take that long to use the restroom." Madge brushed a leaf off her dress. "What if they decided not to play with us?" Thom crossed his arms.

"They wouldn't just leave us like that." Madge replied. "Oh really? How long have you been playing with them?" Thom scowled up at her. "Four days. Long enough to know they aren't mean." She met his gaze steadily. "Well whatever the reason is, I'm not gonna sit here and waste my recess." Gale got up and brushed himself off. "You coming Catnip?" He held his hand out to me. "Might as well." I grabbed his hand and let him haul me up.

"Where're you going?" Thom stood up and cocked his head. "Going to look for them of course." Gale started off across the yard."Hello girls." He smiled at the five jumping rope. The older two blushed while the younger three frowned at Gale for interupting their game. "Have you seen Delly Cartwright at all?" Gale smiled at the blushing girls. It was obvious they had crushes on him. Thirteen year olds were so dumb

. "She went to the shed to look for another jump rope." The tallest one replied. "Thank you ladies." He winked at them. I locked gazes with Madge and rolled my eyes. She smirked back. After Gale flirted with the two girls for couple of moments we were back on our way. "Is Delly always like this?" Thom asked. "She's quite determined. Always has been." Madge grabbed my hand and began swinging our arms back and forth. "Skip skip skip to the lou, skip to the lou my darling!" I started singing as we began skipping.

"Didn't peg you for a singer Catnip." Gale tugged on my braid gently as we skipped in front of him. "She's the best in our music class." Madge said proudly. "The whole class? WOW!" Thom snickered. "What about you? You sound like a dying cat when you talk so I wouldn't expect you to sound much better singing." Madge came to my rescue once again. Gale laughed loudly. Madge and I stopped our game once we reach the toys shed. "Delly isn't here-" Thom started then stopped. "HELP!" Banging was heard from inside the shed, as well as crying.

 **A/N:** **I hope you liked this chapter. It's school yard drama time! =P Thank you for all your nice reviews! They really make my day! And just remember, even though Katniss thinks she and Madge are really grown up, they're not. Every kid thinks they're like an adult. Just wanted to let you know in case you thought it was out of character for them to be skipping and playing house. Yes, both are a bit more mature than the average kid due to circumstance, but they're still kids through and through.**

 **Also:** **I apologize for any grammar or spelling mistakes. I am editing this myself and no matter how many times I go over my stories, I always miss something.**

 **-Beaky**


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